Taii the Matchmaker
by Durbe the Barian
Summary: It was one of those days that Taii felt like being a bad cat and get his master and her sort-of-boyfriend together. And with Tooru in bed with a cold, it was the perfect time for that stupid cat to work his magic.
1. Chapter 1

Detective Conan

Taii the Matchmaker

Romance/Humor

Tooru, Azusa, Taii

It was one of those days that Taii felt like being a bad cat and get his master and her sort-of-boyfriend together. And with Tooru in bed with a cold, it was the perfect time for that stupid cat to work his magic.

(I own nothing more than the title up there. And I'm pretty sure that might have been thought up once or twice too.)

* * *

Taii the Matchmaker

Part One

* * *

"Come back, Mr. Cream!" Azusa called out. "Please! Come back!"

The little girl raced through the park, her hands extended in an effort to catch he who she had been calling to the entire time.

Mr. Cream. A cat with fur as light brown as coffee.

With cream.

Yeah, she probably wasn't the most imaginative six year old in the world when it came to naming animals.

"Mr. Cream! Wait up!"

The cat only looked to the young girl for a brief moment before meowing and turning a corner.

"Mr. Cream!"

Worried, Azusa turned the corner herself, only to find that he had gone further than she had thought.

He was no longer in her line of sight.

He had run away.

Again.

* * *

(Present time)

"Ah. What a beautiful day," Azusa breathed, stretching her arms out as she walked down the sidewalks of Beika. "Don't you think so, Taii-kun?"

"Nya~," was the response that came from the adorable calico beside her.

Azusa chuckled. Even though he was officially her 'house cat,' Taii was incapable of staying in her apartment for very long. Being an outdoor cat for four months must have been the reason behind that one.

After he started smacking at a butterfly, Azusa laughed and picked the cat up off the sidewalk. "You're just being silly," she said. "Just like my old kitty, Mr. Cream."

Azusa smiled brightly.

Then her cat turned his head, his ears pricked up a little bit.

"Huh?" went Azusa. "What's the matter, Taii-kun?"

She received no answer. Rather, little Taii simply looked towards her, staring at her like she was cat food, then jumped out of her arms and raced down the sidewalk.

"Eh!? Taii-kun!" Azusa exclaimed as her cat ran out of her sight. "Taii-kun! Wait! Come back!"

Realizing that Taii wasn't going to listen to her, she chased after him, her breath coming out in short pants as she rocketed past a couple of corners. "Taii-kun," she cried. "Please. If you won't come back, at least slow down."

After chasing after him like that for a few minutes, Azusa realized one thing.

…He was one stubborn kitty cat.

"Taii-kun, come back here!" she called. "You're being a bad kitty."

"Nya~!" Taii responded, turning a corner as quickly as he could.

Azusa sighed. Then she turned the corner and continued following Taii.

"Please, Taii-kun," Azusa sighed. "Stop running already."

That had to be the first time Taii listened that day.

He stopped alright.

Right in front of an old apartment unit.

"Huh?" went Azusa. "Taii-kun, where are we?"

"Nya~," Taii responded, raising his paw slightly, a furry grin appearing on his face.

Azusa tilted her head to the side.

Then Taii started up the steps of the apartment unit, towards a door on the far end.

"Taii-kun?" Azusa asked curiously, following him up the stairs very slowly.

"Nya~," went Taii, reaching up and scratching at the door incessantly. "Nya~."

"What are you doing, Taii-kun?" Azusa asked, bending down and snatching her kitty up from the deck. "You can't do that. You'll ruin the paint on the door-"

Immediately after those words left her mouth, the door opened slightly, rendered ajar by Taii's weight.

Stunned, Azusa stared into the opening for a split second before Taii jumped out of her hands. "Ah!" she exclaimed under her breath. "T-Taii-kun! What are you doing?"

Even if the cat was capable of speaking, he would have given no answer. Rather, he turned a little bit, looked Azusa in the eye, meowed, and walked into the apartment without a second thought.

"T-Taii-kun!?"

It wasn't long before Azusa walked up to the door herself, though she did it with a reddened face. "Taii-kun, get back here," she said firmly. "You can't just waltz into another person's house."

Again, no answer from the calico cat. Not even a meow.

Sighing in worry and maybe a little frustration, Azusa opened the door a little bit and peeked inside.

Other than Taii sitting in front of the couch, licking a tanned hand as if it were a chocolate ice cream cone, Azusa couldn't make out anything else–

Wait.

Tanned hand?

Peeking into the room one more time, she found that the couch was covered with a blanket, the corner of a pillow poking out from the covers. Tufts of goldenrod – almost marigold – was jutting out from between the blanket and the pillow.

The blanket alone made Azusa worry. The tuft of hair was enough to freak her completely out.

She gulped and looked back to the stairs of the apartment unit. Then, after steeling herself, she forced herself to enter the messy apartment and walked towards the couch. "Taii-kun," she said with a hastened huff, "we can't be in here. C'mon, we've got to go."

"Nya~."

"Shh," went Azusa. "Please be quiet. If that's really him, I don't want to wake him up."

Unfortunately, in her attempt to shush her cat, she was doing a poor job in remaining quiet herself, something that revealed itself in the stirring of whoever it was resting beneath the blankets.

Hugging her cat as hard as she could, Azusa mentally begged, "Please don't be him. Please don't be him."

The covers fell off of the person in a moment.

And in that same moment, Azusa's face went bright red.

It was him alright.

It was Tooru Amuro.

A half-asleep Tooru Amuro.

A tiny yelp escaped Azusa as the blond-haired detective looked up to her with half-lidded eyes. "Ah, I'm sorry, Amuro-san," Azusa squeaked. "Taii-kun came in and I was trying to get him-"

"Azusa-san?"

"Huh?" went Azusa.

That was odd. His voice was hoarse.

Really hoarse.

Azusa couldn't help but pause. "A-Amuro-san," she began. "Are you feeling okay? You sound terrible."

Tooru didn't answer right away. Instead, he raised a hand up and smiled. "Oh, I'm fine, Azusa-san," he said, his tone of voice contradicting his claim.

It contradicted his claim so much, Azusa felt compelled to feel his forehead to check his temperature.

Just as she thought.

He was warm.

Very warm.

"You've got a fever," Azusa announced.

"Nya~," went Taii, raising his paws up to his face.

That prompted Azusa to look down at Taii, realization dawning on her. "Did you know that he had a fever?" she asked, lifting Taii up to her face so she could get a better look at him.

"Nya~."

That was a 'yes.'

"Azusa-san," Tooru began, struggling to force himself into a sitting position.

Instantly, Azusa jerked her head to face her co-worker. Then her face went bright red.

If the fact that he just woke up didn't sell the fact that Tooru wasn't ready for visitors, the undone buttons on his shirt certainly made it easier to get the point across.

"You should probably leave," Tooru said, raising a hand up to Azusa. "I don't want to infect you."

"Oh, no, you don't!" Azusa said all of a sudden, placing her hands on Tooru's cotton-covered shoulders. "You're not getting up if you're sick. And I'm not leaving."

"Hmm?" went Tooru.

"You're sick," Azusa repeated firmly. "So you just stay put for a while. I'll go make you something to eat."

"Y-You don't have to do that, Azusa-san," Tooru coughed out.

"I don't have to," Azusa said, placing her hands on her hips. "But I will."

"Nya~!" Taii meowed, a bright catty smile appearing on his face.

Translation: "I'll help too."

* * *

"I talk a big game," Azusa later thought, "but what exactly did I get myself into?"

Such thoughts frequently raced through the young woman's mind as she made her way back to Tooru's apartment. In her hands was a grocery bag containing cold medicine, hiepita, some food for Tooru, a thermometer, and cold masks.

Taii, who was walking beside his master, looked up to her and meowed. "I hope he starts feeling a little better soon," Azusa said. "I'm not used to seeing Amuro-san so sick."

"Amuro-niichan's sick?"

Azusa froze in an instant.

Then she turned.

The Detective Boys were all playing soccer, though their game had clearly just been placed on pause.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Azusa squeaked. "You heard that?"

"Yeah," Conan said as the kids walked over to her side.

"Amuro-san's sick?" Ayumi asked.

"Does he have the flu?" Mitsuhiko asked. "It has been going around lately."

"Y-Yes, he's sick," Azusa answered. "But I don't think it's the flu. I think it's just a cold."

"A cold?" Ayumi repeated.

"Yeah," Azusa breathed, lowering her head slightly. "I think he was caught in the rain that we've been having all week and didn't dry off."

"Maybe," Mitsuhiko said.

"More like certainly," Conan said.

"Huh?"

"Just a couple of days ago, when I was going home, I saw him leaving the Cafe Poirot," Conan said. "It was raining really heavily, but he wasn't wearing his jacket or even using his umbrella. He had it wrapped around something in his arms."

"What?" Azusa asked, half whining. "Why would he do something like that!?"

"Maybe he wanted to keep it dry," Ayumi suggested.

"Yeah," Genta agreed. "Like maybe he had to make a delivery of eel rice bowls or something."

"The cafe doesn't serve that, Genta-kun," Mitsuhiko sighed.

Azusa could only laugh.

Then Taii started scratching at her skirt, meowing at her as loudly as he possibly could.

"Oh," went Azusa. "I've got to go."

"Oh, hey!" Conan called out. "Azusa-san."

"Hmm?"

Azusa then turned herself around, allowing her to see Conan's bright grin.

* * *

"I've told you, Vermouth," Tooru said nasally, throwing a tissue into the trash can, "I didn't just do my own thing, like you think I did. I caught a cold a couple of days ago and I was too tired to meet you at that party."

"_And how did that happen?_" Vermouth asked over the phone. "_I thought you were reminded by that girl that you work with to carry your umbrella."_

"She did," Tooru admitted. "And I did. I just didn't use it and I walked all the way home that way."

He could feel her raised eyebrow from the other end of the phone. Evidently, she didn't believe his words in the slightest. Not that it surprised him. He didn't really believe them either.

"Look, Vermouth, I really can't talk about this right now," Tooru eventually said, rubbing his eyes as the noon sunlight flooded his living room. "I've got a headache and I'm not in the-"

In an instant, he heard a sudden knocking on his door. Instinctively, he hung up on Vermouth and jerked his head over to the door, just as Azusa opened it up. "Hello, Amuro-san," she said. "Have you been resting up?"

"Azusa-san," Tooru said under his breath, placing his phone in his pocket before Azusa had a chance to see it. ←[She told him to let the phone go to the answering machine because she wanted him to rest.]

It was then that Azusa noticed he wasn't resting, like she had requested – rather firmly, one might add – prior to heading out to the grocery store. Without wasting a second, she walked over to his side and pressed her hand against his head.

Such behavior was more than enough to make Tooru contemplate backing away. Only the knowledge that Azusa would take his temperature regardless made him stay put.

"Phew," Azusa sighed. "Your fever hasn't gone up." She removed her hand and gave him a bright smile. "That's good."

"A-Azusa-san, I've already told you that I'm fine," Tooru said, finally backing away from her with a hand before himself. "You should really head on home. The last thing I want is to tell the Master that you got sick on account of me."

"Don't worry about me," Azusa responded. "I don't catch colds all that easily." ←[Careful, Azusa. They say that, then they catch it.] Then she quickly added, "Besides, I've already told you that I'm not leaving. I'm going to make sure you get a good meal to help you feel better."

Whatever strength Tooru had to argue against his co-worker soon flew out the window.

"It's like she's his wife," a childish voice whispered.

"Yeah," a second agreed.

Both adults paused, then looked to the door.

Four kids.

Whoops.

Azusa had forgotten about them.

"Hey, Amuro-niichan," Conan said, raising a hand in the air in greetings.

"Conan-kun," Tooru sighed, placing a hand against his temple to soothe a rising headache, "what are you doing here?"

"Azusa-san said that you weren't feeling very good," Conan answered. "So we decided to come see you."

"Hi, Amuro-san," Ayumi said with a grin.

Tooru very nearly fell to his couch. "Kids," he began, "you need to head home. What if you guys caught something from me?"

"We'll be fine," Mitsuhiko said confidently. "We catch colds from Conan all the time."

Needless to say, Conan was more than a little offended at the silent accusation.

"Yeah, we'll be just peachy," Genta agreed. "So you just get better, Amuro-niichan."

"We've even brought the first Gomera movie for you to watch," Ayumi said cheerfully, pulling the DVD in question out of her backpack. "That might help you feel better. It always does when Ayumi feels sick."

Azusa smiled brightly at the child's attempt at helping. "Well," she said suddenly, "I'm going to go get some lunch ready. Would any of you like to help me?"

"Yeah!" practically all the children responded.

All except Conan, naturally.

Those that accepted followed Azusa into what she hoped to be the kitchen. (She cheered when she found that she was right.) Conan, meanwhile, found a place to sit near the coffee table as Tooru sat down on the couch, propping his arm up with the cushion as he rubbed his head. "Are you feeling okay, Amuro-niichan?" Conan asked, dropping the cutesy grade-schooler voice he so often used when Ran and Kogoro were around.

Tooru only chuckled a little bit. "Hai, Conan-kun," he said, a smile forming on his face as he peeked past his fingers. "I'm just fine."

* * *

Tooru hadn't intended on falling asleep, but with his cold and Azusa's cooking, there was close to nothing he could do to defend against it.

He had practically passed out on the couch, a half-eaten bowl of Azusa's rice porridge resting on the side table. Ayumi placed a blanket on him while the boys tidied up his rather messy living room. Genta's argument for having done so, "If you're sick and your room's dirty, you take a long time in getting better. My mom says that all the time."

Quite confusing in Conan's eyes, but he chose not to argue about it. After all, it wasn't like he could put up much of an argument anyway. Not with the Detective Boys.

Both Azusa and Ayumi had laid claim to the dish washing job in the kitchen, leaving Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Conan to pick up a few newspaper articles that Tooru had cut out for some odd reason. Taii was simply watching them, licking his paws in an effort to give himself a bath. "Boy, Amuro-niichan is really messy, isn't he?" Mitsuhiko mumbled, organizing the books on his shelf. After three or four books, it had become apparent that Tooru, much like many other detectives, was a bit of a fan of _Night Baron. _

"Yeah," Genta agreed, opening up a photo album. "Even his photos and newspaper clippings are messy."

"Genta, I think you should put that down," Conan sighed. "That's called snooping."

Taii quickly took notice of the photo album, a lightbulb flashing over his head. He jumped off the side table and leapt into Genta's arms, knocking the album out of his hands. "Gah! Taii-kun!" Conan exclaimed, snatching the cat from Genta and stepping away. "Don't do that. You'll wake Amuro-niichan."

"Just what are the three of you doing?"

All three boys froze as the album was scooped up from the ground. Then they looked up. Tooru was awake, alright.

And apparently, slightly irked.

Whether it was because of his cold or because of the fact that Genta was going through his things without asking.

Either way, it was obviously a rude awakening.

* * *

**D.T.B: Heh heh heh. What a way to start a two-shot. ^_^' Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

Taii the Matchmaker

Part Two

* * *

The Detective Boys let out a terrible gulp as they looked up to Tooru. "A-Amuro-niichan," Conan squeaked. "Did we wake you up?"

Azusa feared that to be the case as well.

Tooru, however, did not answer. Instead, he smiled and bent down, his photo album behind his back. "You know," he began, "it's rude to look at other people's things without permission. Think you can remember that, Genta-kun, Conan-kun, Mitsuhiko-kun?"

All the boys nodded furiously.

"Good."

Tooru stood tall once again and looked over to Azusa. "Azusa-san, would you be willing to take these children home? I don't want them to catch a cold."

Azusa inwardly sighed in relief. He had returned from being a rather angered man to the calm member of the Poirot she had been working with for quite a while. Swallowing, she nodded. "Sure, Amuro-san," she said, walking over to the boys. "Come on now, you all. Gather up your things."

"'Kay," the boys said monotonously.

Conan then briefly looked up to Tooru. The man was still smiling, but he was obviously still very upset about them going through his things. Made sense though. Who knows what kind of things he had in those albums. Perhaps a few Black Org photos that would place the children in danger had they seen them for their true worth.

He had to make a mental note to leave things be, however, as the thought of going through the albums again sometime suddenly became rather enticing. Shaking his head, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and started for the door. Genta and Mitsuhiko followed right after. Ayumi was last, thanks to her handing the Gomera movie to Tooru, reminding him to watch it so the monster could work his magic and make him feel better. Tooru accepted, but only because he found it difficult to make sense of a child's logic. Otherwise, he simply would have thanked her for her kindness while also informing her that he didn't watch too many DVDs, so he probably wouldn't watch it anyway.

"Take care of yourself," Ayumi said with a smile. "Bye, Amuro-niisan."

"I will. Take care, Ayumi-chan," Tooru replied, waving farewell as she started out the door.

Once she was down the stairs, Azusa walked over to Tooru and pressed her hand to his forehead. "Uh...Azusa-san?"

Azusa then pressed her other hand to her own forehead.

Then she nodded. "Your temperature's starting to go down a bit," she informed him, "but you should really get some more rest."  
"I will," Tooru answered. "Don't worry."

"I'll try not to," Azusa said. "But if you ever need any help, just call me, okay? My brother got colds all the time, so I know how to treat them."

Tooru stared, but then gave her the nod she was looking for.

"Think they'll get married?"

"Maybe someday, Genta."

"Ayumi wants to be like Enomoto-san in the future."

"What are you three doing?"

The grown-ups froze up, then turned to Tooru's doorway.

The kids were not at the bottom of the steps to the apartment complex. In fact, they were right outside the door, peeking into the apartment. Conan, on the other hand, was staring down at the kids, wondering how to get them away from the door.

Azusa felt her face grow warm. Then she walked forward and placed her hands against their backs. "Okay, you kids," she said. "Let's get going. We need to let Amuro-san get some rest."

"O-Okay! Bye, Amuro-niisan!"

Tooru slowly waved his hand as Azusa gently pushed them towards the stairs. He would have even chuckled a little bit had his throat not felt like sandpaper.

* * *

"Oh, so Amuro-kun has a cold?" Agasa asked, setting sweets down before the kids sitting at his coffee table.

"Yeah," Ayumi asked. "He's got a fever and everything."

"Enomoto-san said that he was going to be fine though," Conan said, taking a bite out of his treat. "Mainly, he was just really tired."

"Yeah," Mitsuhiko agreed. "He practically passed out after just a few spoonfuls of Emonoto-san's rice porridge."

Genta nodded. "But then he woke up after Taii-kun jumped on me."

"Maybe he just didn't want you playing around with Amuro-niichan's photo album, Genta," Conan said, staring at the obese boy in question. "That was pretty rude."

"Oh, come on!" Genta exclaimed. "You can't say that you haven't done the same thing!"

Conan looked away, coughing away his discomfort.

Agasa quickly changed the subject. "And how is Taii feeling? He didn't get sick too, did he?"

"Huh?"

All the children looked to Agasa, eyes wide with surprise. "What do you mean, Hakase?" Conan asked.

"Well, remember all the rain a couple of days ago?"

The kids nodded.

"Well, Amuro-kun ran past my house."

"Why was he doing that?" Ayumi asked. "Amuro-niisan's house is in the other direction."

"I only had a little time to ask. He said Taii had gone to the Poirot to surprise Azusa-chan, but she'd already left by the time he got there. Amuro-kun was busy taking him back home before Azusa-chan found out he was gone. He even had him wrapped up in his jacket so Taii wouldn't get wet."

"Well, that would explain everything," Conan thought.

"No wonder Amuro-niichan got sick," Genta said. "That rain was pouring."

"Well, I offered him an umbrella, but he simply said, 'No, thank you.'"

They all shrugged.

Genta was right. No wonder he got sick. Even Conan was a little more careful.

Okay, maybe not that careful, as his reputation of catching colds made very clear.

* * *

Tooru sat himself down on his couch, a throbbing headache erupting in the back of his skull. Inhaling sharply, he allowed his head to fall to the back cushion. "Well, that was a most unusual day," he mumbled. "I didn't think Azusa-san was that...selfless."

"Nya~."

Instantly, Tooru froze up. Then he looked over to his thigh.

A calico cat was brushing up against him, curling up into a fluffy ball. His belly rose and fell as he breathed evenly, obviously dreaming about chasing mice or something of the sort. Tooru stared.

"Oh, dear."

* * *

"Taii-kun!" Azusa exclaimed, looking under her bed for her cat. "Taii-kun, where are you?!"

She continued to look through her small apartment building – under her comforter, under her bed, in her cupboards (He was in there once, though she still doesn't know how.) – though every place did little more than solidify the fear within her.

That she'd forgotten Taii.

"Taii-kun, you naughty kitty," Azusa whined, placing her hands on her hips as she jerked her head this way and that. "You didn't stay behind when I left Amuro-san's house, did you?"

Sighing, she opened the door to her apartment once more and started down her apartment building. "Taii-kun," she mumbled. "Why do you kitties like making me worry so?"

* * *

_"__Mr. Cream!" Azusa cried out. "Mr. Cream! Stop running! Please!"_

_The cream-colored cat looked back to his owner only once before returning his attention to the road before him. He slid as he turned a corner, Azusa following right behind. "Mr. Cream!"_

_She turned the corner as well, then froze completely._

_Mr. Cream had jumped into somebody's arms._

_A young man with short, brown hair and lightly tanned skin. He was a Middle School student, according to the uniform he was wearing. A small girl was standing behind him, looking to be about Azusa's age._

_A small girl who noticed Azusa quickly enough. "Rei-kun, look."_

_"__Huh?" The young man raised his head, revealing bright blue eyes. Mr. Cream meowed._

_"__This your cat?" he asked Azusa, who gave a fierce nod. _

_He gave a little laugh, then walked up to her and placed Mr. Cream in her arms. "Here you go."_

_"__Ah, thank you," Azusa began, "Mister...?"_

_The boy paused. Then smiled. _

* * *

Taii had it all planned. Anybody who saw that knowing look in his eyes would have had that figured out. Even his nap, which he was thoroughly enjoying, was carefully timed so Tooru would feel obligated to bring him home to Azusa. The cat was a genius in the cat world. Too bad no human realized that until way, way, later.

After Tooru had taken him some ways to Azusa's house, he twitched his ears and casually woke up. "Hey, Taii," Tooru said casually, his eyes going down to the cat.

"Nya~."

Taii then jumped out of his arms, knocking Tooru off-balance for a moment. "Oi! Taii!"

"Nya~!"

The detective sighed. Honestly, what was with that cat? He followed after in an attempt to get an answer, though his cold and rising fever was most certainly not making it anything less of a challenge for him.

* * *

"Thank you, Master," Azusa said, stepping out of the Poirot.

Once the door shut, she sighed. Taii usually went to her work when she forgot him, mainly because it was the one place he knew she would go, but the Master had yet to see him. That meant he was probably still at Tooru's place.

Terrific. For all she knew, he was sleeping on his couch or in his bed, like he was supposed to be, and the last thing she wanted was to wake him up. Especially not if he just managed to get some much needed rest.

A second sigh escaped Azusa as she stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Nya~."

Then Azusa paused.

Then she turned.

Taii was standing in the middle of the sidewalk, giving himself a quick cat-bath. "Taii-kun?"

"Nya~."

Azusa smiled instantly. "Taii-kun!" She reached out to sweep the cat up off the ground, only to have him jump away before her fingers could brush against his fur. "Ah. Taii-kun, where are you going now!?"

Scooping up the hem of her skirt, Azusa chased after her cat, turning at the end of the road. "Taii-kun, this is not funny," she said, fighting off the urge to growl as she followed down the next street. "Slow down.

Taii simply answered with a bright, "Nya~."

Azusa huffed. "Taii-kun..."

With a funny sort of meow/squeak, Taii turned into Beika Park, jumping into the air as he raised his tail.

Stopping in front of the park, Azusa closed her eyes and said in a loud voice, "Taii-kun, please stay put!"

If a few children saw her raise her voice, she most certainly didn't care. Taii was hardly being a very obedient kitty, no matter how she tried to justify whatever it was he was doing.

However, there was one thing she did care about.

"Uh...Azusa-san?"

The fact that _he_ saw her behave like that.

Opening her eyes, she raised her head up slowly, quickly taking notice of the blond-haired detective.

Tooru Amuro, with Taii in his arms.

Though brief, an image of a young middle schooler, a good head and a half shorter than Tooru was, flashed through her mind. Like Tooru, he was also holding a cat, though that one was Mr. Cream.

Just as it arrived, the image faded and Azusa was left with just Tooru. "A-Amuro-san," she squeaked. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be sleeping." She quickly pressed her hand against his head. "Your fever's starting to go up again."

He didn't need her telling him that. He could tell just fine on his own.

"Nya~."

Translation: "I tried to tell him, but detectives are as stubborn as fences." ←[He's going for the innocent routine.]

Both humans looked down to Taii, who was licking his paws. "Taii-kun, did you make Amuro-san bring you here?"

"Nya~." ←[He ain't telling.]

Azusa gave the cat a feigned scowl. Then she stood straight once more and looked up to Tooru. "You should have just stayed home and gotten some sleep, Amuro-san."

"I probably should have," Tooru admitted, "but you would have been worrying about Taii in the meantime, Azusa-san."

Azusa felt her face grow warm. He certainly had her figured out, didn't he?

Suddenly, Taii jumped into Azusa's arms, giving his owner a bright cat smile. "Nya~."

Tooru smiled a bit, then placed his hands in his pockets. "You should probably take him home now, Azusa-san," he said. "He might be a little hungry."

"Nya~!"

Translation: "You'd better believe I'm hungry."

Azusa looked at her kitty, then back up to Tooru. "Only if you head back home yourself," she said firmly. "I'll be sure to come check up on you."

"You don't have to do that, Azusa-san."

Azusa shook her head. "If Taii-kun made you feel worse, Amuro-san, then yes, I do." She looked him in the eye. "Alright, Amuro-san?"

Tooru blamed his fever for his reddening face. He looked away, his hand against his mouth. "I understand," he said. "Alright, Azusa-san, you can. Just so long as I don't give you my sickness too."

Azusa smiled. "I've told you, haven't I? I hardly ever get sick."

Taii meowed, nodding his head. ←[All according to plan.]

* * *

True to Azusa's word, she checked up on Tooru after work the following morning. The Master had given her the afternoon off, allowing her to fulfill the obligation she had made for herself. Even Taii chose to bring a peace offering, though she got rid of it quickly enough. While she appreciated the gesture, she wasn't so certain that Tooru would enjoy the thought of having a dead bird in his apartment.

She didn't need to knock when she arrived. Just as last time, Taii had welcomed himself inside, thanks to the door being ajar. (Tooru needs to fix his door before a burglar notices.) "Amuro-san," she whispered. "Are you awake?"

Taii gave her the answer to that. Much like the previous time they entered his home, he was sleeping on the couch. Realizing this, Taii jumped over to Tooru's side and stood on his hind legs, his nose raised to his male master.

Azusa could only chuckle. Taii looked adorable when he did that. "Now, Taii-kun, don't wake him up again, alright?" she asked.

"Nya~."

Taii fell back, landing on his feet – seeing as how he's a cat – and walked around the apartment. Azusa, meanwhile, felt Tooru's temperature.

It was finally beginning to go down. Thank goodness.

"Maybe I should make something for him when he wakes up," she thought to herself.

"Nya~."

"Hmm?"

Azusa turned around. Taii was standing behind a photo album, tapping the page with his paw. "Taii-kun!" she silently exclaimed, chasing after her cat. "What are you doing? You shouldn't go playing with Amuro-san's things. We're his guests."

"Nya~!"

The cat quickly bounced away, fleeing from Azusa's hands.

Shame. She completely missed what Taii was trying to show her.

The image of a young man with tanned skin and dark hair holding a cream-colored cat in his hand. On the back of the picture read, "_Rei-kun with his new friend, Mr. Cream. (According to his collar.)"_

In his effort to play 'matchmaker,' it would appear that his owner still had a while to go before she made the connection.

Or did she?

* * *

**D.T.B: Aaaaaaand...end. This twoshot is over. (If I try to take it further, it might grow into something I can't handle right now. That's what sequels are for, if I get around to it.) In the meantime, I realized something important. Why didn't Tooru take his ****_car_**** to Azusa's house after he found Taii in Chapter One!? He could have done that and ****_easily_**** avoided his cold! [throws her hands into the air] INSANE!**

**[pause]**

**So, this is the answer to that – which I chose to come up with, so if you don't like it, you are most certainly free to think of something more creative. I won't mind. **

**Taii grabbed Tooru's car keys and hid them somewhere in the Poirot so Tooru would have no choice but to carry him to Azusa's house, which isn't that far away from the Detective Agency. Had he used the car, he probably would have left the engine running and wouldn't have stayed for long at Azusa's. (Plan A to get them to talk for a while, which failed. Miserably.) Having Tooru catch a cold was ****_not_**** part of the plan, but it worked in his favor, so Taii gave himself a pat on the back.**

**Anyway, rant over. Please review and let Taii know how you feel about his genius. XD**


End file.
